USCB Undergraduates (Summer & Fall 2023)
Aydanni Gonzalez
Hello, my name is Aydanni Gonzalez I am a senior at USCB majoring in Biology. I plan on going to graduate school to become a physician’s assistant. I was born and raised in Beaufort never traveling too far away. I have always enjoyed nature. My favorite hobbies are reading and listening to music outside. I’ve grown to love the outdoors, whether it’s exploring new places, kayaking, or hiking. I am grateful to be a part of this research team where I can combine my love for the outdoors with my love for science.
Eli Wright
Hi, my name is Eli Wright and I am currently a sophomore at The University of South Carolina Beaufort. I am majoring in Biology with a concentration in Biomedical Sciences. I am from Anderson, SC. I became intrigued with biology in high school when I went on a field trip to a local genetics center. Once I took AP Biology, it only reaffirmed my love for science and wanting to know more about how the world around us works. I am grateful to have received funding for summer research and look forward to getting a lot of work done. In the near future, I plan to attend graduate school to get a Ph.D in the field of biology.
Brendan Cruz
Hi! My name is Brendan Cruz. I am currently majoring in Marine Biology at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. I became a PADI certified SCUBA diver as a teenager and immediately fell in love with the ocean. Seeing an entirely new world underwater gave me goosebumps and started my interest in everything underwater. The more I learned about marine life, the more I realized how much I wanted to research and work with it. I'm extremely grateful to have received Summer funding through the USCB SRE initiative. In the future I hope to continue doing research with a focus on biomedicine.
Hope Chutjian
Why, hello there. I’m Hope Chutjian and I am a senior in the biology program at University of South Carolina Beaufort. I’m originally from Hamburg, New York but I have spent most of my life here in Beaufort. I have always dreamt of having a career in science, so I’m very excited to be a recipient of the SRE scholarship and participate in oyster reef research with Dr. Brugler. After I graduate in the fall I plan to attend a Ph.D program to pursue a career studying parasites.
Jude Roman
Hey y’all, My name is Jude Roman and I’m a freshman at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, I am currently majoring in Biology with a concentration in marine biology. I was raised in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where I grew my passion for the environment and the wildlife within it. Since I was young I have always enjoyed fishing and seeing all the different organisms within the water. This love of fishing led me to strive for an opportunity to take a marine science class during high school. This choice ended up being for the better, as it taught me how compelling and wonderful the ocean truly is. Although I definitely have quite a bit of work and learning in my future I am excited to learn more about the ocean and further grow my knowledge of the world around me.
Mason Reid
Hi there. My name is Mason Reid, and I'm currently a sophomore at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, majoring in Biology with a focus in Marine Science.I was born and raised in Hartsville, South Carolina, and went to school in a tiny town called McBee. My passion for all things nature probably started when I would find myself in the woods, flipping over rocks and logs to find whatever was holed up underneath. Pretty soon I was scooping up as much knowledge as I could about local ecology, farming, and conservation. I decided on USCB when I realized that I hadn't explored the ocean yet. I'm currently going wherever life takes me, and just don't want to be boring. My current hobbies consist of skating, fishing, and kayak tours around the Hilton Head Island area for Saltmarsh Paddle Tours.
Principal
Investigator:
Mercer R. Brugler
Changing the Face of Science in the Lowcountry
